Over 50 Iraqi MPs contest al-Sharaa’s presence in Baghdad summit

Shafaq News/ More than 50 Iraqi lawmakers are opposing the attendance of Syrian transitional president Ahmad al-Sharaa at the Arab League summit in Baghdad.

"A number of MPs reject al-Sharaa’s presence due to crimes committed by terrorist organizations he was affiliated with in Iraq, specifically the Karrada bombing in central Baghdad," MP Ibtisam al-Hilali told Shafaq News.

51 signatures had been collected so far and would be submitted to the parliamentary leadership on Saturday to "take the necessary measures," she added.

She suggested Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani could represent Damascus at the summit instead, saying "there is no objection to al-Shibani attending instead of al-Sharaa."

Earlier, a Syrian government official confirmed to Shafaq News that "al-Sharaa had given preliminary approval to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s invitation to visit Baghdad."

Al-Sudani met al-Sharaa in Doha on April 17, where they discussed security, diplomatic, and economic issues, according to sources familiar with the meeting. It was their first encounter, following Al-Sudani’s earlier statement that al-Sharaa was "welcome in Baghdad."

The Prime Minister’s stance toward al-Sharaa has deepened divisions within his political bloc, the Shiite Coordination Framework. A source told Shafaq News that the meeting with al-Sharaa "exacerbated the internal split and created an atmosphere of tension and confrontation within the Framework."